Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026
12:27
Noninvasive In Vivo Small Animal MRI and MRS: Basic Experimental Procedures
Published on: October 20, 2009
16.2K
What N Is N-ough for MRI-Based Animal Neuroimaging?
Joanes Grandjean1,2, Evelyn M R Lake3,4, Marco Pagani5,6
1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Nijmegen 6500HB, The Netherlands joanes.grandjean@radboudumc.nl francesca.mandino@yale.edu.
Eneuro
|March 18, 2024
Summary
Recent human brain studies spark debate on animal neuroimaging sample sizes. This opinion piece explores opposing views on using large versus small sample sizes in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based animal research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Human brain-wide association studies (BWAS) have raised ethical and scientific questions regarding sample size.
- The animal neuroimaging field is now considering similar sample size debates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present two contrasting perspectives on sample size extremes in animal neuroimaging.
- To stimulate discussion on the necessity of large sample sizes for ethical and effective scientific progress.
Main Methods:
- This is an opinion piece, not an empirical study.
- Discussion of two opposing viewpoints on sample size in MRI-based animal neuroimaging.
Main Results:
- Presents arguments for both large and small sample sizes in animal neuroimaging.
- Highlights the ongoing debate within the scientific community.
Conclusions:
- The optimal sample size for animal neuroimaging remains a critical and debated topic.
- Further discussion is needed to balance ethical considerations with scientific rigor in animal research.
Related Concept Videos
01:25Applications Of NMR In Biology
3.3K
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a very valuable analytical technique for researchers. It has been used for more than 50 years as an analytical tool. F. Bloch and E. Purcell formulated NMR in 1946 and won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physics for their work. Biological macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and organic molecules including pharmaceutical compounds, can be studied using this versatile tool that exploits the magnetic properties of certain nuclei.
3.3K
01:24Magnetic Resonance Imaging
7.6K
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical imaging technique based on a phenomenon of nuclear physics discovered in the 1930s, in which matter exposed to magnetic fields and radio waves was found to emit radio signals. In 1970, a physician and researcher named Raymond Damadian noticed that malignant (cancerous) tissue gave off different signals than normal body tissue. He applied for a patent for the first MRI scanning device in clinical use by the early 1980s. The early MRI...
7.6K
01:14Brain Imaging
1.0K
Brain imaging technologies provide critical insights into both the structure and function of the human brain, enabling medical professionals and researchers to diagnose, study, and treat neurological disorders or psychiatric disorders more effectively.
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
These technologies include computerized axial tomography (CAT or CT scans), positron-emission tomography (PET scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Transcranial Magnetic...
1.0K